Having missed the last two NCAA baseball tournaments, the once dominant Tar Heel program hasn’t had too many things fall its way in recent years.
Longtime head coach Mike Fox will be hoping that changes this season behind one of the top MLB Draft prospects in the country–right-handed pitcher JB Bukauskas.
The junior was named to Collegiate Baseball’s Preseason All-American Second Team on Monday, as he is expected to take over the all-important Friday starting role for UNC in 2017.
Although some scouts have worried about how his rather slender 6-foot frame will hold up over the long run, he has shown signs of greatness with a fastball that touches 97 mph and a slider that consistently leaves hitters swinging out of their shoes.
He went 7-2 with 111 strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA in 78.1 innings for the Tar Heels last season as the Saturday starter behind Zac Gallen, but looks to improve on those numbers following an impressive summer with the USA Collegiate National Team.
The native of Ashburn, Virginia allowed just a single unearned run in 21.2 innings while representing the red, white and blue–striking out 21 batters and giving up only seven hits.
When the Tar Heels open their season on Feb. 17 against Kentucky, it’ll likely be Bukauskas on the mound trying to get the team off to a positive start.
If the past means anything, it’d be a good bet that he’ll do just that.
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